Light switch with indicating light in a translucent handle thereof



Jan. 3l, 1967 M. J. WEITZMAN 3,301,988

LIGHT SWITCH WITH INDICATING LIGHT IN A TRANSLUCENT HANDLE THEREOF FiledFeb. l0, 1965 F|G.1 .4 2 Flea '4 ATTORNEYS United States Patent O 3 301988 ILIGHIn swrTCII wIrrI INDICATING LIGHT IN A TRANSLUCENT HANDLETHEREOF Milton .I. Weitzman, Bayside, N.Y., assigner to Slater ElectricInc., Glen Cove, N.Y., a corporation of New York Filed Feb. 10, 1965,Ser. No. 431,560 4 Claims. (Cl. 24m-167) The present invention relatesto a two level. electrical switch of the type commonly known as adimming switch which is provi-ded with a light which is operative whenthe switch is in its oi position to thereby indicate the position of theswitch.

Additionally, the indicating light of the present Invention is soarranged t-hat it `operates at a decreased intensity when the switch isin its dim position thus indicating that fact and is off when the lightis bright.

It has been common to provide smallneon lamps in the handles ofelectrical switches to indicate the'location of the switch when the lampcontrolled thereby is unenergized but in general such indicating lampshave required quite complex structures since the switch handle isoscillatable and th-us some type of commutator ,device is necessary tocarry the current to the lamp or in the alternative, flexible leads mustlbe used which a-re subject to failure due to the repeated flexingthereof.

The present invention provides a structure wherein no flexible leads arerequired and wherein the neon lamp is readily mounted in the switchhandle and current conducted to and from that lamp by means of acommutator device located on the axis of rotation of the handle and thusrequiring a minimum of space while at the same time providing a reliablyoperating device.

It is an object of the invention to provide a two level switch having anindicator lamp mounted in the switch handle which lamp, in addition toindicating the location of the switch, serves to indicate the operativecondition thereof.

It is another object of the invention to provide such a two level switchwith an indicating lamp in which the current is conducted to theindicating lamp in such a manner as to assure that failure will notoccur while at the same time providing a construction Aoccupying aminimum of space and requiring no complex mechanical arrangement forswitching the indicator lamp in accordance with the position of theswitch handle.

Other objects and features of the invention will be apparent when thefollowing description is considered in connection with the annexeddrawings, in which,

FIGURE 1 is a top plan view of the two level switch and indicating lightof my invention with the cover removed;

FIGURE 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the switch of FIGURE 1taken on the plane of the line 2-2 of FIGURE l. In this view, however,the cover is shown in place;

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary transverse cross-sectional view taken alongthe plane `of the line 3-3 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 4 is a transverse cross-sectional View taken on the plane of theline 4-4 of FIGURE 1; and

FIGURES 5 and 6 are circuit diagrams of alternative circuits, thediagram of FIGURE 5 showing the mode in which the circuit is arranged inthe switch depicted in FIGURES 1 through 4.

Referring now to t-he drawings, the switch comprises the lusual housinghaving the base 11, side walls 12 and 13 and end walls 14 and 15. In theusual manner there is mounted lon the housing 10 a cover 16 which, aswill appear, has an opening therein through which the handle 17 extends,the handle being held in position hy the cover which is in turn heldinposition by the mounting 'strap 18 which is secured to the housing byany suitable means such as rivets.

Extending upwardly from the hase 11 adjacent each end wall is a boss 19,these bosses supporting rubber bumpers 20 which act as end stops for thehandle as 1t is oscillated from one position to another.

Mounted in slots 21 (FIG. 2) in the opposing faces of the bosses 19 is aU-shaped resilient member 22 having a depressed area therein asindicated at 23 which serves, as will appear, to hold the switch handlein its center position.

Formed in the inner surface of the side walls 12 and 13 and extendingfrom the upper surface of the side walls toward the -base 11 are notches24 which serve as journals for the shaft portion 25 of the handle 17. Asis clearly indicated in FIGURES 1 and 3, the handle 17, in addition tohaving the shaft portion 25, is provided with the right angledextensions 26 which extensions cooperate with the bumpers 20 previouslymentioned to cushion and limit the oscillation of the handle.

As will be seen especially in FIGURE 3 the shaft portion 25 is hollow asis the handle portion proper 17, the lower end of the handle ybeingprovided with a cap 27 which ts into an opening provided in alignmentwith the portion 17. Also, the shaft 25 is provided on its lower surfacewith camming members 281, one of which is n-ot utilized in the presentexample and the other of which co Ioperates with a contact member 3i)and causes it to be moved into engagement with one or the other of apair of contacts or to rest between those contacts. Mounted in thehandle 17 is a neon lamp 31 the leads from which, designated 32 and 33,pass through grooves 34 (FIG. 3) in the sides of the cap member 27 andextend thence outwardly along the `bottom of the shaft 25 through holes35 therein and are held in position by means of conductive pins 36Iwhich are inserted in the central bores of the shaft portion 25 fromthe respective ends and serve to pinch the leads 32 and 33 between theinner surface of the bore and the inserted pin.

The side walls 12 and 13 are 37 adjacent the ends thereof, the aperturesbeing enlarged toward the inner edge of the side walls to lprovidegrooves 38 and 40 which grooves, together with the apertures, extendfrom the outer [face of the side walls toward the base and terminate ata point spaced from the base, as clearly seen in FIGURE 4.

Mounted in the upper right hand ones fof the slots 3S and 40, as seen inFIGURE 1, is a. terminal member 41 which comprises a portion 42 which ismounted in the slots and an additional portion 43 which extends at rightangles thereto, the inner edge of the portion 43 resting on a shoulderportion of the corresponding boss 19, this shoulder portion beingdesignated 44. Fixed to the inwardly extending portion 43 of theterminal 41 is a flexible contact Inember 45 which extends parallel tothe side walls and lies between two contacts about to be described. Alead-in conductor 46 extends through an aperture in base 11 and theconductor is electrically connected to the terminal 41.

Another terminal member 47 similar to the member 41 is mounted in thegrooves 38 and 40 associated with the aperture 37 at the right handbottom of the switch housing as seen in FIGURE 1. This terminal 47carries on its lower face a Contact 48 which mates with a similarcontact 50 on the contact member 45. A lead-in conductor 51 extendsthrough an opening in the base and through an opening in the inwardlyextending right angles portion of terminal 47 and is soldered asindicated at 52 to that portion of terminal 47.

A third terminal 53 is mounted in a similar manner at the lower lefthand of the switch as seen in FIGURE 1. This terminal member carries anarm 54 which extends provided with apertures D toward the right anddownwardly as seen particularly in FIGURE 4 and carries on a portion 55,parallel to the base 11, a contact 56 which cooperates with a contact 57mounted on contact member 45. Additionally, there is mounted on theterminal 53 a diode 58, the center electrode of which is connected bymeans of the conductor 6i) to the terminal 47, and the outer terminal ofwhich is connected directly to terminal 53 and thus to the contact 55.

In order to supply current to the indicator lamp 31 the pins 36 engageconductive strips 61 which are placed in the journal notches 24. Theseconductive strips rest upon the bottom wall of the notch 24 and extendupwardly along the side walls. The two strips are identical but they areinserted facing in opposite directions and each is provided with anoffset portion 62 which fits about a portion of the side wall 12 or 13as the case may be, these portions being designated 63, see FIGURE 1.Additionally, each strip is provided with a bent-over end 64. Thebentover end 64 of the right hand conductive strip 61 lies between theupstanding portion of terminal 47 and the corresponding groove in theside wall 13. In a similar manner the bent-over end of the left handconductive strip 61 lies behind an insulating member 65 which ispositioned in grooves in the side wall 12.

The left-hand conductive strip 61 is electrically connected by means ofa conductor 66 to one terminal of a resistor 67 which resistor ismounted in a cavity in the upper boss 19, the opposite terminal of theresistor being connected by means of the conductor 63 to the terminal41. This connection is made by placing a bared end of the conductor 68on the ledge 44 on which the inner end of terminal 41 rests so thatcontact is made by pinching the bared conductor between the ledge andthe horizontal portion of terminal 41.

As shown in FIGURES and 6 there are two modes of connecting the lamp 31and resistor 67 in series therewith into the circuit. The preferred modeis shown in the drawings, FIGURES 1 through 4, and a schematic diagramthereof constitutes FIGURE 5. When the switch handle 17 is in itscentral position as shown in the drawings, there is no connection to theexternal load 7i), but the lamp 31 is energized due to the fact it isconnected across the line from terminal 41 to terminal 47 specificallythe circuit leads from the terminal 41 through conductor 68, resistor67, conductor 66, conductive strips 61 through left hand pin 36,conductor 33 through the lamp 31, conductor 32, right hand pin 36 andright hand conductive strip 61 to terminal 47.

When the switch handle is in its upper position, as seen in FIGURES 1and 2, terminal 41 is connected directly by means of the contact member45 and contacts 50 and 48 to the terminal 47, thus energizing theexternal load 70. The load 70 being directly across the power sourcewill be fully energized. The lamp 31 will of course be short circuitedand will therefore remain deenergized.

When the switch handle 17 is placed in its lower position the contactmember will move so that contact 57 engages contact 56 and the circuitwill then extend from terminal 41 through contact member 45, contacts 57and 56, to terminal member 53, thence through diode 58 and conductor 60to terminal, 47. This time, therefore, the diode will be connected inseries with the load across the power line and the load will beenergized only by half wave alternating current and will operate a lampat a reduced brilliancy. At the same time a shunt will be formed acrossthe indicator lamp 31 during those periods when the diode is conductingso that the lamp 31 will also be energized by a half wave alternatingcurrent and will operate with a reduced brilliancy thereby indicatingthat the load 70 is operating at less than full power.

Although the circuit arrangement above described is preferred it isobvious that the indicator lamp may be connected in circuit in othermanners and FIGURE 6 illustrates one such manner. In this arrangementthe diode and its series resistor, instead of being connected directlyacross the power line, are connected from terminal 41 to terminal 53.With this arrangement the diode operates when the switch is open onlyand when so operative is provided with half wave A.C. current. When theswitch handle is in either its upper or lower position the lamp 31 isshorted out and therefore is, as stated, deenergized.

It will be seen from the foregoing that I have provided a very simplemeans for conducting current to an indicator lamp which is located in aswitch handle without the necessity of utilizing exible leads. It willbe apparent also that my structure for accomplishing this purposeprovides means for readily replacing the indicator lamp if this benecessary and also provides a structure which is readily assembled atlow cost both for parts and for labor.

Although in the foregoing description the indicator lamp circuitarrangement has been described in connection with a two level switch, itwill be understood that a substantially identical arrangement could beutilized in connection with the ordinary single-pole single-throw switchor with a single-pole double-throw switch. Thus I wish to be limited notby the foregoing description, but solely by the claims granted to me.

What is claimed is:

1. In an electrical switch of the type having a housing, a cover,terminals mounted in the housing for connecting the switch in one sideof a line from an A.C. power source to a load, at least one movable andat least one fixed contact arranged to connect one of said terminals toanother and a movable operating handle mounted in the housing to operatethe movable contact; in combination, the operating handle comprising ahollow translucent manually operable member having hollow shaft portionsextendingy perpendicular thereto, an indicator lamp having wire leadsintegral therewith mounted in said operating member to be visible fromoutside the switch housing, means mounting said hollow shaft portions injournals formed in the side walls in at least one of the cover andhousing, each said lead from said indicator lamp extending into one ofsaid hollow shaft portions adjacent the manually operable member, pinsin said hollow shaft portions engaging said leads to hold said leads inposition, heads on said pins, resilient means at each side of saidhousing connected to one of said terminals, said resilient means beingurged into continuous contact with a corresponding pin head, saidconnection of said resilient means to said terminals causing saidindicator lamp to be in series with the load and energized therethroughwhen the movable contact is out of contact with the fixed contact, saidindicator lamp being shorted out and de-energized when the movablecontact engages one of the fixed contacts, a cap at the inner end ofsaid manually operable member, said cap having an outwardly extendingpointed member, and a detent member mounted in the switch housing andcooperating with said pointed member to hold said handle in a centralposition.

2. In an electrical switch of the type lhaving a housing, a cover,terminals mounted in the housing for connecting the switch in one sideof a line `from an A.C. power source to a load, at least one movable andat least one xed contact arranged to connect one of said terminals toanother and a movable operating handle mounted in the housing to operatethe movable contact; in combination, the operating handle comprising ahollow translucent manually operable member having hollow shaft portionsextending perpendicular thereto, an indicator lamp having wire leadsintegral therewith mounted in said operating member to be visible fromoutside the switch housing, means mounting said hollow shaft portions injournals formed in the side walls in at least one of the cover andhousing, each said lead from said indicator lamp extending into one ofsaid hollow shaft portions adjacent the manually operable member, pinsin said hollow Shaft pOrtOuS Iengaging said leads to hold said leads inposition, heads on said pins, resilient means at each side of saidhousing connected to one of said terminals, said resilient means beingurged into continuous Contact with a corresponding pin head, saidconnection of said resilient means to said terminals causing saidindicator lamp to be in series with the load and energized therethroughWhen the movable contact is out of contact with the fixed contact, saidindicator lamp being shorted out and de-energized when the movablecontact engages one of the xed contacts, said switch including at leastone xed contact, at least one movable Contact, and a diode connectedbetween the switch terminals in one position of the movable contact,said operating handle having three positions in at least one of whichthe circuit to the external load is broken and said indicator is fullyenergized and in another of 'which said indicator lamp is shunted andcompletely de-energized.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITEDl STATES PATENTS 2,134,696lll/1938 Bigman 20G-167 2,246,613 6/1941 Bigman 200-167 2,434,065 l/1948Courtney 200-167 2,494,560 l/1950 Kaupp 200-167 X ROBERT K. SCHAEFER,Primary Examiner.

H. O. I ONES, Assistant Examinez'.

1. IN AN ELECTRICAL SWITCH OF THE TYPE HAVING A HOUSING, A COVER, TERMINALS MOUNTED IN THE HOUSING FOR CONNECTING THE SWITCH IN ONE SIDE OF A LINE FROM AN A.C. POWER SOURCE TO A LOAD, AT LEAST ONE MOVABLE AND AT LEAST ONE FIXED CONTACT ARRANGED TO CONNECT ONE OF SAID TERMINALS TO ANOTHER AND A MOVABLE OPERATING HANDLE MOUNTED IN THE HOUSING TO OPERATE THE MOVABLE CONTACT; IN COMBINATION, THE OPERATING HANDLE COMPRISING A HOLLOW TRANSLUCENT MANUALLY OPERABLE MEMBER HAVING HOLLOW SHAFT PORTIONS EXTENDING PERPENDICULAR THERETO, AN INDICATOR LAMP HAVING WIRE LEADS INTEGRAL THEREWITH MOUNTED IN SAID OPERATING MEMBER TO BE VISIBLE FROM OUTSIDE THE SWITCH HOUSING, MEANS MOUNTING SAID HOLLOW SHAFT PORTIONS IN JOURNALS FORMED IN THE SIDE WALLS IN AT LEAST ONE OF THE COVER AND HOUSING, EACH SAID LEAD FROM SAID INDICATOR LAMP EXTENDING INTO ONE OF SAID HOLLOW SHAFT PORTIONS ADJACENT THE MANUALLY OPERABLE MEMBER, PINS IN SAID HOLLOW SHAFT PORTIONS ENGAGING SAID LEADS TO HOLD SAID LEADS IN POSITION, HEADS ON SAID PINS, RESILIENT MEANS AT EACH SIDE OF SAID HOUSING CONNECTED TO ONE OF SAID TERMINALS, SAID RESILIENT MEANS BEING URGED INTO CONTINUOUS CONTACT WITH A CORRESPONDING PIN HEAD, SAID CONNECTION OF SAID RESILIENT MEANS TO SAID TERMINALS CAUSING SAID INDICATOR LAMP TO BE IN SERIES WITH THE LOAD AND ENERGIZED THERETHROUGH WHEN THE MOVABLE CONTACT IS OUT OF CONTACT WITH THE FIXED CONTACT, SAID INDICATOR LAMP BEING SHORTED OUT AND DE-ENERGIZED WHEN THE MOVABLE CONTACT ENGAGES ONE OF THE FIXED CONTACTS, A CAP AT THE INNER END OF SAID MANUALLY OPERABLE MEMBER, SAID CAP HAVING AN OUTWARDLY EXTENDING POINTED MEMBER, AND A DETENT MEMBER MOUNTED IN THE SWITCH HOUSING AND COOPERATING WITH SAID POINTED MEMBER TO HOLD SAID HANDLE IN A CENTRAL POSITION. 